A method of this type is described in DE 199 18 597, in which a rollover coefficient which represents the rollover risk is continuously computed, the rollover coefficient being based on the ratio of the height of the center of gravity to the track width of the vehicle. The transverse acceleration and the roll angle are used in the computation of the rollover coefficient. A steering intervention is automatically carried out to stabilize the vehicle if the instantaneous rollover coefficient exceeds a threshold value. In addition, brake pressure control may be activated if a critical value is exceeded, so that active intervention into the longitudinal dynamics of the motor vehicle is also carried out as a result of activating the brakes. However, DE 199 18 597 contains no information concerning the manner in which the braking operation is carried out simultaneously with a steering intervention.